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The invention relates generally to methods and processes for digital electrographic printing. More specifically, the invention relates to methods of detecting and notifying a printer operator of a mismatch state resulting from an incompatibility between print job attributes and printer resources or capabilities when the mismatch state occurs xe2x80x9cmid-job,xe2x80x9d i.e., after raster image processor has begun to render the print job.
In order for a digital printer to successfully complete a print job, the print job attributes, such as specified media characteristics and finishing operations must be fully supported by the available printer resources and capabilities. That is, for example, the printer must support the necessary font, must be equipped with print media in the correct size and color and must be connected to the necessary finishing device to perform any required finishing operation. If the attributes specified by the print job are not supported by the printer, a xe2x80x9cmismatch statexe2x80x9d exists, and the printer will be unable to print the job, at least in the form the customer requested. The result is that the printer is either unable to print the job at all, or prints the job on different size paper, different color paper or without stapling or hole-punching the finished copies, for example.
Such a mismatch results in wasted time, in the case of a print job that cannot be run and requires reconfiguration of the print job attributes or printer resources, or in wasted time and money, in the case of print job being run on incorrect media or with incorrect or no finishing, requiring the print job to be completely re-run. Additionally, rendering by the raster image processor (xe2x80x9cRIPxe2x80x9d) is a time consuming process and, therefore, many digital printers automatically check for potential mismatch conditions prior to initiating rendering.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a method of detecting mid-job mismatches and alerting the printer operator so that the mismatch may be remedied without the needless expenditure of time and printer resources.
This invention solves these and other problems of current and prior art digital printers by providing a method of detecting mismatches during rendering of the print job and notifying the operator of the existence and nature of the mismatch state detected. Upon detection of a mid-job mismatch, the present invention stops rendering the print job, places the job in the printer in a mismatch state and displays on the printer""s user interface a message informing the operator that a given problem was found on a given page.
These as well as other aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from reading the following detailed description, with appropriate reference to the accompanying drawings.